Indiana University East will launch the inaugural “One Book, Many Voices” project in August 2012. The project mission is to foster a campus and community discussion about themes and ideas inspired by a common text in an effort to develop camaraderie, inform knowledge, and inspire action towards positive civic engagement and improvement.

The featured book is Listening Is an Act of Love, edited by Dave Isay, founder of NPR’s Storycorps Project. The diverse and far-reaching themes in this collection of oral histories and the emphasis on self-awareness and a sense of place and personal history are well suited to foster dialogue and feature intersections among people, places, and projects throughout the community.

Books will be available for purchase at the Indiana University East Campus Bookstore and will be available for borrowing at the Morrisson-Reeves Library.

The project will take place from August 24 through December 3. In addition to reading groups and a variety of campus and community events, the project will also include a visit by Dave Isay on October 16 and 17. Isay will speak at an event open to the public on October 16 at IU East as well as at the university’s annual scholarship luncheon on October 17.

Katherine Frank, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, introduced the idea of a one book project to IU East after participating in a similar project at her former institution.

“One book projects are an extremely powerful way of engaging people in a community-wide discussion about themes and ideas important to community development and personal growth. When planning such a project, it is essential to find a book that appeals to a diverse audience, is relevant to the community as a whole, and integrates easily with existing and new programming,” Frank said.

She added that also important to the success of such projects is the ability to bring the author or editor to the community where the book is featured.

“Not only is Dave Isay a well-known and prize-winning producer, he is also the founder of the Storycorps Project, which has a positive history in Richmond due to the efforts of Girls Inc. of Wayne County. We are thrilled that he will be travelling to our community in October and spending a generous amount of time here sharing his experience and expertise,” Frank said.